City of The Found
by Rose the Paradox
Summary: There's something different about Mae, other than her fears of iron and fire. It's something people and Downworlders alike would kill for. Problem is, she doesn't know what that is. On her adventure, she witnesses a murder, gets kidnapped by vampires, and meets the dangerous and sparkly Magnus Bane. Will she ever learn the truth about herself? Slight AU. R&R. Have a lovely day! :)
1. Chapter 1

**Changeling: A child believed to have been exchanged by fairies for a human's true child. **

I closed my book of myths and legends that Dad had gotten me for my birthday. It was about Greek and Roman legends, fairies, vampires, sirens, monsters, and more. Right now I was reading about fairies. The book was all about explaining why people thought fairies and vampires etc. were real. Did you know that they used to bury people facedown to make sure they couldn't rise back up? They also ran a stake through a person's heart to make sure they were actually dead. They believed the legends of vampires that much.

I'm sure it made sense to do it back in the thirteenth century, because they weren't very good at doctoring back then. Bloodletting and leeches. It sounds like a lot of fun for somebody back then. Well, we had to start somewhere. Anyway, back to the present. I like to read about things. Anything would do, whether it be fantasy, cookbooks, plays, or biographies. As long as it sparked my interest, I would read it.

I know you're probably saying "what's wrong with this girl? She still reads books!" Well, you'd read books to if you had a 123 IQ, was sixteen years old, and had no social life. It's not like I chose to be a pariah. It's just that I'm a little different from other people my age. While teenage girls were mooning over their latest celebrity crushes; I was excited to go to a book signing by my favorite author.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm not very relatable to other people. Why you ask? I have a superior intellect. I'm not bragging; it's a fact. I also don't get out much because of my health. I happen to get sick a lot. I'm also afraid of fire and iron. What? Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Mae Harrison, teenage… person.

A sunbeam suddenly showed up on my hand, bringing me out of my little reverie. I looked out my window to see my home city, Brooklyn. We lived in an apartment located in an industrial neighborhood in Brooklyn. Looking out at all the enormous buildings, their lights starting to go up as the sun went down. They reminded me of canyon walls, trapping the streets with their shadows. If I looked closely, I could see the Catholic Church where my aunt attended. She dragged me there once, but I never went back.

I stood up and stretched, as I had been reading at my wooden desk for the past hour. I put the book back on its proper place on my bookshelf. I looked around my green bedroom, reminiscing on the future. Sometimes I liked to imagine myself jumping from my windows, but instead of falling, I would fly from one building, over the bridges, all the way to lands unexplored. But I knew that if I was ever stupid enough to jump, I would fall thanks to gravity.

I just wanted to have a little something to spice up my life. Everyday it was wake up, go to school, avoid all iron objects, don't talk to people, come home, do homework, read, eat, sleep repeat. Every Saturday, I would see my therapist for my phobias and what she called 'anti-social tendencies." I was like a wind-up doll, never stopping, always going to the same beat, and going wherever someone placed me.

Don't get me wrong; I'm a very lucky person and I'm grateful for my blessings. I have two wonderful parents who love me, plenty of food and water, an education, and lots and lots of books. I just want something new.

Sighing, I put on my Knicks sweatshirt over my blue T-shirt. I laced my red Nike sneakers. I was going to go on a walk around the block before the sun set. Going on a walk in the cold always clears my mind, even though I hate the cold. I walked out my bedroom door, making a quick pit stop in the bathroom. I did my business, and brushed my blonde hair. I exited the bathroom making sure to turn off the light.

I walked through our living room and out our door, walking past the other identical apartment doors. The only differences were the numbers next to them and the dings and dents. We lived in an apartment, on the seventh floor to be exact. When the electricity went out, it was a hassle to climb all the stairs. Still, it was better than living on the 20th floor.

I reached the elevator to and pressed the down arrow. Normally I wouldn't take the elevator, but my legs were still a little asleep from my reading time. The elevator was made out of steel, which is a mix of iron and other metals. If it was made out of pure iron, I would run back to my room. But since the elevator has mix of metals, I could stand it if I had to.

I hoped that I would run into George, the closest thing I had to a friend. He was our doorman, and was a very friendly 20-year old. He never finished high school, so he's constantly reading to catch up. Right now, he's reading the American classic "The Great Gatsby'. George said I could borrow it when he was done.

'Ding' went the elevator as it arrived. I stepped in and pressed the One button that would take me to the lobby. As the elevator doors closed, I could have sworn that I saw a cat. But pets weren't allowed in the building. It was just my imagination. Right?

**Reading Addicted here! It's summertime over here, so I have plenty of time. I decided to redo this story, so here it is. Hope you enjoy it! Please review, if you want to. I'll give you a virtual hug if you review. Make it better and have a lovely day!**


	2. Chapter 2

As the elevator began its descent, my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to find a text from my parents. "Sorry, we'll be home late tonight, Mae. So much paperwork! We're trying to get all our papers graded before the holidays. Make sure you bundle up; it's going to get really cold. We love you!" My parents teach at the City University of New York. Mom teaches Journalism, and Dad teaches Literature. No wonder why I have a love of books.

'Ding' went the elevator as it opened on the ground floor. I slipped my phone into jean pocket, and walked looking for George. There he was, at the welcome desk, reading. I tried to tiptoe to sneak up on him, but as usual he saw me before I had taken more than five steps. "Nice try Mae. You should know you can't sneak up on me by now" he said, putting down his book.

"Hey George. What book are you reading today?" I asked, glancing at the title. "A Catcher in the Rye" it stated, with a simple scarlet with no decoration, like wrapping paper lain out on a carpet before you put it on the present.

"I'm reading the story of a depressed young man on the precipice of adulthood who really needs to stop swearing and get listened to." He said with a smile.

"I tried to read that once; there were to many swears for my taste."

"This is New York we're talking about. You should be immune to the uncouth language of grouchy city dwellers by now." he chuckled,

"Well, when you're parents charge you a dollar for every cuss word; you wouldn't be too fond of them either. Hey George, where's that book you owe me?"

"Right here, my friend." He handed me a hardcover copy of _The Great Gatsby. _I grasped the book as if it were made of spider silk, about to come apart in my hand. Two golden eyes looked back at me, eyes looking as if she were a goddess among foolish mortals. "How about a kiss for that book?" he asked, leaning towards me with a playful glint in his eyes.

I quickly slapped him on the head with those golden eyes on that purple cover. "Idiot. You know I could get you fired for harassment."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't since I'm so cute." He pouted childishly.

"As amusing as all this is, I'm kind of on a time limit here." said a neutral voice nearby. I spun around to see a Hispanic teenager right behind me. He was about four inches taller than me, with a slender frame. He had a swath of thick, curly hair and a prominent scar on his throat. His eyebrows were so thin I had to wonder if they were stenciled in with a pencil.

He reached for me, but he wasn't able to get me. I was wrenched behind the desk, clawed fingers shoving me down. "Stay down there Mae!" shouted George. Well, at least I think it was George. This guy had longer ears like a dog's, and clawed hands, but he had George's sandy brown hair and amber eyes.

I stared at his form in a state of stupor as he dropped to all fours and hair started to sprout from all over his body. He was a man one moment, and a wolf the next. He looked at me with a plea in his eyes. He growled at the boy, who threw himself at the dog version of George.

As any sane person would, I screamed like a violated banshee. I crawled under the desk as they grappled for a grip on each other. George was trying to bite the other one in the throat as he thrashed around like he was a flooded river. You would expect the Mexican to be dead by now, or at least severely maimed, but he was a dancer, avoiding every blow and responding with a graceful blur of a kick. I glanced down at my hand to see the hardcover copy of _The Great Gatsby_. I picked it up and threw it at the brawling pair.

It sailed true and steady, right into the boy's face. He staggered back, his broken nose leaking blood like a loose faucet. This gave George an advantage, and he took it, leaping for the boy's throat. I thought George would get the Mexican, but the boy moved faster than my eyes could comprehend. I blinked and the Mexican had bitten George in the throat. George let out a howl as his body convulsed back into a man, thankfully with all of his clothes on.

George was struggling to breathe as a scarlet bib spread its way to his chest, staining his crisp button-up shirt with blood. The Mexican merely looked at George and said something presumably very rude in Spanish. He turned his gaze towards me, and quicker than a fish is snapped out of water he had me in an iron grasp. I literally mean iron.

He wrapped an iron chain around my throat, and he held me to his chest backwards so I couldn't see his face unless I looked up. As soon as the iron touched my tender skin, the burning began. It felt as if the fire of the Pit of Hell was on my skin. I screeched an inhuman cry, begging for him to stop. He merely dragged me away from George, who had a glassy look in his eyes. Oh. My. Bronte. George was dead.

Tears streamed down my face as the Mexican dragged me along, the iron collar along my neck increasing in fury as my body wracked in pain. His steel grip tightened at my futile struggle to get away. He said something in Spanish that I didn't understand. "Es hora de irse a casa pequeña princesa."

"What?" I moaned as my world started to flicker. The fire eating at my neck only increased as pressure grew greater. Air was getting harder and harder to find. As he dragged me through the glass doors, my world went black. I wasn't sure if I would see the light of day again.

**Reading Addicted here! Virtual hug for Mimi-Marie34! Quote of the day: 'Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can' Arthur Ashe. **

**My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the rioting going on in Turkey, and the war in Syria. Has anything ever been accomplished by war? The answer is no. 65 million soldiers alone were killed in combat during War World Two. That's just soldiers alone. May it never happen again.**

**Please review, if you want to. Make the world better, and have a lovely day!**


	3. Chapter 3

"That was too easy Raphael. It should be out for hours in the shape it's in. You killed one of them wolf scum as well." The shuffling of feet and scent of dust started to awaken me from my oblivion. I heard a door open and a familiar, seemingly unruffled voice give out orders. Raphael!

"I want two vampires outside its room at all times. It should be unconscious until The Mistress is here to receive it, but we don't know what it's capable of. If it wakes up, just ignore it. If the pequeña princesa starts causing trouble, then get me. The Mistress wants her delivery in relatively one piece." The door slammed shut and I heard it being locked.

Sluggishly coming into a hazy consciousness, I slowly regained feeling in my limbs. I opened my creaky eyelids to find that I had a blindfold over my eyes. "What the freak is going on" came my thoughts that were arriving on the late train. I jackknifed my body into a sitting position, trying to recall the last events that happened. I was going downstairs to see George…

Oh Bronte, George is dead. George, the big goofball who loved books, hit on girls, then got punched by said females and was murdered by Raphael. George died trying to protect me. Hot tears leaked out of my eyes. On instinct, I lifted up my hands to wipe them away, only to discover my hands were bound behind my back together with what felt like a dog chain. Thankfully, it wasn't burning, so it must be made of steel or some other metal.

I tugged on my legs expecting similar results, only to find them unbound. I pulled on the chain around my wrists, which only succeeded in chafing my wrists even more raw. Teardrops of sorrow ran down my face like a rushing river. I choked back my sobs, telling myself to get a grip. I sniffed and buried my face in my knees. I took a deep breath and went through the conversation Raphael had had with someone else. They kept saying 'it', 'The Mistress', and something about a delivery.

Logically speaking, we can deduce that "The Mistress" is a female and wants something to be delivered to her. The vampires have this something. This "it' they kept referring to was me. I was unconscious for a while, and someone wanted me for reasons unknown. Wait; rewind to conversation bubble "I want two vampires outside its room at all times." Did Raphael say vampires?

Vampires couldn't exist! The very concept of vampires defied logic. How could dead people come back to life? But then again how did George transform into a wolf? They did refer to him as "wolf scum" In most books, namely _Twilight by Stephanie Meyer_, most werewolves and vampires hated each other. If you took into account Raphael's seemingly superhuman speed strength, vampires seemed to be the logical conclusion. But vampires weren't real. This didn't make any freakin' sense!

Okay, calm down Mae. If I keep thinking this hard, I'll give myself a nosebleed. Pulling the emergency lever on my train of thought, my calculations started folding in on themselves. Vampires, it, The Mistress, pequeña princesa, what did they all mean?! My body sagged, crushed by the hopelessness of the situation. What would happen to me now? Were these vampires running some kind of blood operation or something more despicable? I took a deep breath and thought of my parents.

What would Dad do? He would be freaking out and trying to find Mom or me. Mom would be keeping a cool head and try negotiating with these low-lifes. But I wasn't my parents. I wasn't all that strong or brave like my mother always was. I wasn't as patient or as even tempered as my father was. What would my parents say to me? C'mon think, Mae.

Mom had always said to call 911 in an emergency. I doubt she had been thinking of kidnapping by a group of either vampires or genetic hybrids. Isn't this is where the protagonist has a major change of heart and defeats all the bad guys? I sniffed, and tugged against my chains, suddenly enraged. There it was; the thing that my parents would tell me. 'If you don't try to do something about it, then it's your own fault Mae.'

Mom and Dad would have certainly called the police by now, and were probably worrying their brains out. I would get back to them if it was the last thing I did. Odds were, it probably would be my last stand. "I will get back to you" came my resolute whisper.

Without warning, two loud thumps and a strangled cry came from outside the door. Startled, I shook of any remaining dizziness I was experiencing; I shot up onto my knees, as my chains were too short to let me stand up. Two distinct shots cracked through the stagnant air. They were a sound most New Yorkers know well. The sound of gunshots. There were two more thumps, but softer than before. What the heck was happening? I couldn't see, so whatever was on the other end had an advantage. I prayed to whatever divine being was listening, begging them to let the thing at the door just pass on.

Apparently, whatever is up there decided to ignore my mental pleas. It was suddenly quiet as is the thing outside the door was contemplating on how to come in. Blood started pounding in my ears. My endocrine system was sending adrenaline through my body. My palms were sweating, a common sign of fear. What sane person wouldn't be scared in a situation like this?

The lock on the door unlocked, and it opened. The soft footsteps got louder at every step it took towards me. I heard it stop in front of me. Two hands clamped down on my shoulders, like snakes latching onto their prey with venomous fangs. I thrashed about, trying to get away even though I knew it was useless to try and get away.

The hands worked quickly to unwrap the blindfold from my face. It came off to reveal… A tall, man with an amber glow to his skin and enough make-up to put a model to shame. "It seems someone has been naughty, Mae." he said.

**Hey! Virtual hug for Doodle Mistress for reviewing! Quote of the day: "I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but I almost always ended up where I needed to be." Douglas Adams. If you have any questions, comments, critcisms, leave them in a review. Flames will be used to cook chicken. Make the world better and have a lovely day!**


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